Carmichael Industries
by ZhuLiDoesTheThing
Summary: Carmichael Industries has two new employees (OCs) under the guidance of Chuck and Sarah. AU with OCs and Cannon cameos.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: The story is an homage to the series _Chuck_. I do not own the rights to the series or any of the characters from the show. This is an AU with OCs and cannon character cameos. This is my first story, constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please enjoy.

Liam stood in the doorway watching as she packed her things. He ran his fingers through his dark hair and couldn't help but grin at how frantically she was rushing around the room. Even though she wanted to wipe that smug look off his face, there was still a part of her that wanted to kiss him.

"I still don' understand why ya' have to go alone, Kitty." His bellowing Scottish accent rang through the room. He chuckled and scratched his unshaven jaw, then moved to sit beside the suitcase on the edge of the bed. He was playfully unpacking it while she continued to add more clothes. Kit stood for a moment and gave him a sarcastic look. She didn't want to answer him because she knew that he would be able to convince her otherwise. Kit took a deep breath and resumed her business. Liam made a long, drawn out groan and stood back up. She was focused on the dresser, going through to see what else needed to be packed. Then, she felt him come up behind her. His hand brushed over her shoulder and down her arm. Liam took her hand and turned her to face him. She resisted, but turned nonetheless. Kit attempted to look elsewhere but from his gaze, so Liam took her chin in his hand and smiled. "Listen, Love, I just worry about ya'. Ya can' leave! I need you 'ere, with me." Kit let out a resentful sigh.

"You're so dramatic!"

"Wha? No, I'm not! I'm romantic!" Liam grinned.

"You know I'm only leaving for a couple weeks. You're just needy." Kit laughed a bit to herself and resumed. He was like a child sometimes, and stubborn. It was infuriating, but he was loveable as all hell and loyal without fault. She would admit that when he loves, he loves hard. Liam loves her, and she, him.

Liam finally started helping and loaded her suitcase into the car. Before sending her off, he went over the checklist of items she would need for the trip. "Now, ya' have ya' cell charger? I need ya' to make sure it's always charged up, Love, 'cuz I'll be trying to check on ya' for updates on the job." Kit chuckled mirthlessly, "Yes, I have my charger." Liam looked down at her, knowing that she was responding to him like she usually does to her mother. "I know, I know. But I just 'ave to make certain tha' I can report your findings back to the ol' HQ…and 'cuz I'll just be missin' ya so much." He pretended to blush and pulled her waist into his. Kit smiled up at him and hugged him back, resting her head on his chest. He felt her sadness for being away from him and she felt his worry for not being able to come along as back-up. They usually worked together; a team, a partnership, but they have orders. "Carmichael said it's just surveillance. I'm just going to Vegas for a couple weeks to assess the targets and determine whether or not they're going to be a threat. I'll be fine."

Liam drove her to the airport. They stood outside the terminal for a few more moments embracing. Liam was still resistant because he has always been protective of Kit. He could never live with himself if anything had happened to her on his watch. But they had their orders. The two work for an independent organization called Carmichael Industries; a freelance spy agency under the orders of Charles and Sarah Carmichael. Kit has been assigned to assess the threat of disruption within the local government and the like. A larger agency has hired Carmichael Industries for some light contract work. If the threats prove to be more troublesome, Kit will write up her report and alert her supervisors. And later, the organization will determine that next plan of action that will eventual involve Liam.

"Listen, Li, if anything happens, you know ill call you! I promise I won't get in over my head." She looked up at him, a faint twinge on the curve of her smile. She didn't want to leave him either. Liam knew it and relaxed to put her mind at ease. He took her hand and held it on his chest, then leaned down to kiss her forehead. He whispered on her skin, "Alrigh', Love. I'll see ya' soon."

Kit boarded her plane with all the other passengers. It would be a short flight, but she couldn't help but remember her time flying to Vancouver. She and Liam were in between missions and decided to use the flight time to have a date. He ordered champagne in the middle of the flight and set up a mock-picnic with tea light candles. This was Kit's favorite day.

She took her seat by the window and pulled out her dossiers to review her targets.


	2. Chapter 2

It was late afternoon when Kit arrived in the City of Lights. She could feel her stomach rumble as she approached her hotel room. She refused to pay the outlandish prices for airplane food. Kit dropped her key card on the bedside table and contemplated what she wanted to eat for dinner.

 _Bzz bzz bzz bzz_

She turned to find her phone. _Probably Liam checking in,_ she thought to herself. Before she could see what it was, the television in her room clicked on and stopped her in her tracks.

"Agent Godric, good to see you made it to your check-point on time."

Kit jumped up and turned to the television. On the screen was a man with short, curly brown hair wearing a sport coat over a Star Wars t-shirt and sitting behind a large, metal desk. "I still cant get used to that. How did you know I was-"

"How you gone over your dossiers? Some of the targets are meeting at the casino in your hotel tonight. Scope out the building and get a new dress. You're going out tonight. Find out what this meeting is about." Carmichael was out as abruptly as he had tuned in.

Kit had questions but none of them were going to get answered now. Her stomach rumbled again. She didn't have time to eat now. She grabbed her purse and started for the door. "Oh! Liam." As she was leaving her room, she started her text. She rounded the corridor to the elevator and bumped into something. She looked up from her phone and saw what it was. A young woman, with silver hair and green eyes looked back at her. "Oh, I'm so sorry," Kit stammered. The woman looked as though she couldn't be bothered with any unnecessary banter. She snickered and hurried passed Kit as quickly as possible. _That was odd,_ Kit thought to herself. But something about the woman's eyes seemed familiar.

After an obligatory shopping mission, Kit arrived at the casino wearing an elegant black dress, just enough to blend into the masses. Lively couples chatting over cocktails, crowds exalting around roulette tables, waiters and waitresses fawning over high-rollers. She scanned the horde to find her targets. As her eyes surveyed the crowd, they steadied on a particularly familiar face. The silver-haired woman was accompanied by another prominently distinguishable gentleman. He moved with purpose, his dark hair contrasting his skin. He smiled to another man before introducing the silver-haired woman and the three of them sat in a private booth.

Kit reached into her clutch and pulled out what appeared to be a reading glasses. She put them on casually and raised the cocktail menu up from the bar. She pretended to care and glared over the menu to look at the group again. As her eyes locked onto the individuals in the booth, the glass in her frames lit up gently. Images immediately began to flash in front of her: a picture of a single tea cup on a coffee table; a Moroccan street corner; a random sunset; FBI redacted files; a digital copy of her dossiers appeared and identified the couple.

Victoria Fellows, also know as the Silver Jade, has been missing for 3 years. Her known affiliations, as last recorded, are with MI6 and Interpol. Fellows was last spotted during an undercover assignment in Morocco.

Art Vance, also known as The Artisan, has evaded the CIA from several years. Several files appeared showing his ties to complex white collar crimes, and each basically stating his involvement but lack of tangible evidence to make accusations stick.

Kit couldn't get the Intersect to identify the third gentlemen that the couple were meeting with. But she was curious about Victoria since they had interacted earlier. _Vance was in the dossier,_ she thought to herself, _I came at the right time._ She quickly ID-ed a handful of bodyguards that were clearly not casino staff, but she needs to find out what this meeting is about.

Kit took the Intersect glasses off and put them back into her clutch. She placed the cocktail menu back on the bar and started toward the booth.

 _burrrrrlllllmmmp…_

"Crap," she breathed, remembering she still hasn't eating since she was with Liam. The lunch he made for her flight was some vegan shit she wasn't trying to experiment with, so she tossed it before boarding. _Just don't think about it right now, focus._ She made her way to a poker table just a few yards away from the booth. The buy-in was ten-thousand, and she didn't have that kind of cash on hand. As she stood watching other patrons play, a waiter was walking by with drinks for a table. She effortlessly snuck one off his tray and casually tried to eavesdrop on the discussions at the booth.

The chatter and commotion of the casino was just a little too loud for her to get the full dialogue, but she didn't want Victoria to see her. Suddenly, Kit's phone buzzed in her clutch. She opened it and saw a bank transfer of fifteen thousand dollars. _Carmichael…_ Apparently, it was time to play. She took her seat at the table and was welcomed with disingenuous remarks from the gentlemen with the most chips. "Oh, what do we have here? A lovely young lady who wants to give me her hard earned money," he scoffed. Kit smiled meekly and gave her ticket to the dealer for buy-in. A larger man was sitting next to her and sweating from all of his drinks that night, put his hand on the small of her back. She stifled a groan as he leaned into her, "Don't worry, baby, I'll help you. Just look for the 'tells.' Everyone's got one."

"Thanks…" she muttered and they were all dealt in. The condescending man tried to act professional all of a sudden, looked at his cards and called to the blind of two thousand. The sweaty man proceeded to look at his and immediately folded leaving his small blind of a thousand in the pot. Kit looked at her cards, took a light sip of her drink, and checked to her big blind. Then, was the flop: a 2 of diamonds, a Queen of Hearts, and a 10 of hearts. The Douche contemplated his next move, then looked to Kit for a reaction. She sat looking uncomfortable, mostly because the sweaty man was staring at her chest. The Douche bet another two thousand to get a rise out of her. She paused and called. Now, the turn, a 4 of hearts. Kit checks her chips and the Douche stares her down. Both bet five grand. The audience around the table stood silently waiting for the River.

The sweaty man bought her another a drink. She awkwardly accepted and left it on the table, untouched. The dealer took a beat before revealing the last card. All final bets have been made. The pot is at fifteen thousand, with the help of the creeper's small blind. The last card is an 8 of clubs. The Douche snickers and is ready for the reveal of his win. Kit rubs her chin, worrying about whether Carmichael will be upset if she loses his money. She'll probably have to pay for it herself. The Douche shows that he had a pair of Kings and begins to reach for the pot. Kit sighs thinking about the paycheck she would have to lose. She revealed her cards and finishes her free drink. "The lady has a straight, 8 to Queen. Congratulations, Miss," the dealer swats the hands of the Douche and presents Kit with the winnings. The Douche, enraged, grabbed his drink and signaled his group to leave.

 _I definitely wouldn't have heard the end of this from Liam. I can here his voice now,_ "Oy! Kitty, I tol' ya to be careful. Keep a low profile, Love."

Kit turned her head slightly to check on the booth. They looked to be fully engaged in a heavy discussion. She needed to know more but couldn't get too close. This is normally when she would meet Liam from across the room, with a meet-in-the-middle tactic. Time to improvise. As she stood from the table, the sweaty man invited her to his room later with a light "tap" on her bottom. She turn to face him and motioned to shake his hand. When he accepted, Kit gripped it hard bending his thumb backward. "Touch me again…" she leaned into him and used her other hand to help dislocate his thumb, "And I'll break it permanently so you can never pleasure yourself the same way again." Kit smiled at him, adjusted her bra, and turned leaving him writhing in pain.

She saw a plain looking man nursing a scotch he clearly didn't mean to order. He's close enough to the booth, too. Kit casually takes advantage of him with idle small talk and mindless flirting. He's obviously never been to Vegas, but it's fine. All she has to do keep him talking about nothing, because she can now overhear Vance talking at the booth.

"Well, as you know there only so much we can get accomplished. When I organize my people, the job will get done. But what you're asking for is superfluous."

The way Art Vance spoke commanded attention. His voice was deep and soothing, which made Kit uncomfortable. The guy she was pretending to give a shit about made a comment about her facial expression and apologized for sharing the details about his stupid Frat story. She waved him off and pressed for him to continue.

Victoria interjected, "Regardless of how 'superfluous' the request, do you think we could even manage the plan without this inside help?" With that comment, everything started to make sense. Victoria was deep undercover. When they bumped into each other earlier, Victoria recognized Kit and was pissed. The only reason Kit is here is to help move things along. Victoria was losing momentum and Kit was essentially there to make her realize she needs to move faster.

Vance spoke again, "I'm not in the business of eliminating people 'permanently.' If that's the only way that we can contract your assistance, then I suggest we find a new ally."

 _Well that doesn't sound like a bad thing at all!_ Kit thought to herself while mindlessly feigning interest to the plain man's storytelling.

"However, if an elected official like yourself happened to run into some sort of financial scandal.. Well.. that would be unfortunate." Vance pulled out his phone and showed the other gentleman the screen. "It appears that several hundred thousand dollars of tax payer money can be redirected into off-shore accounts that can be traced back to you, Senator. And an alert would be prompted to a few prominent journalists that are already looking for you to make a mistake." The Senator froze with the threat and began to rationalize his initial request. "It's no one who would really be missed. She's just some escort that's been extorting me for child support. The kid isn't even mine. But, hey, you know what? Forget I mentioned it."

"Mentioned what?" Vance grinned deviously and put his phone away. Victoria gestured to him and they started to leave. Kit debated on whether she should follow. She still doesn't know why Vance needs the Senator, but it's definitely not for something good.

"Er, so, do you want to join me and my friends at that new club I was talking about?" invited the plain man. Kit laugh unconsciously and caught herself. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm married. But have fun!"

She started after Vance, but as soon as they moved passed the bar her stomach lurched. _Crap._ She looked down at her stomach and winced at how hungry she was. When she looked up they were gone. _Damnitall, this is all Liam's fault. I won't mention that last part in the report._


	3. Chapter 3

Liam woke one morning and rolled over to hug Kit awake, but she wasn't there. She's been gone for about a week now. He groaned, realizing how needy he was and laughed at the thought of Kit seeing him this way. Nevertheless, he missed her. He jumped out of bed and started for the kitchen. He scratched the back of his neck and staggered up to the coffee maker. He was wearing his favorite Superman onesie. Kit hated that thing, so he took advantage of doing whatever he wanted while she was away. He grabbed the empty pot and started to make a fresh batch.

 _Click_

The TV in the kitchen clicked on and Carmichael was on the screen. He sat for a moment, watching Liam haphazardly attempt to make himself coffee. The scene he came across looked like Superman was waking up from a hangover and was too "super" to understand how normal people did anything in the house.

"Er.. ahem. Mr. Kent, sorry to bother you this morning. I see you can't handle being without Lois for very long," Carmichael laughed to himself for the joke, then quickly tried to shift himself back into an authoritative demeanor.

Liam jumped in shock, "Shite! Chucky, boy! Ya' can't find a bett'r way to talk to yer employees? I mean, wha' happen to callin' people off a mobile?" He turned back to the coffee maker as a fresh pot was ready. He poured himself a mug full and sipped, burning his lip in the process. "Oy, so wha' can I do for ya' Boss Man?" Carmichael blushed, "Er, ahem. That's Carmichael to you!" Liam winked back at him.

Chuck began the briefing, "Hello Agent Meyers! Agent Godric's mission is basic surveillance, or so she was told. She has probably figured it out by now, but the reason for being there is more complex. We are going to be sending you in now."

"Oy! Finally! I been bleedin' sittin' on me arse for a week worried sick." Liam was now making breakfast. And by breakfast, he was essentially just making a mess. Carmichael interjected, "the same dossiers Agent Godric has are being uploaded to your tablet." Liam reached over the kitchen's island for the tablet and unlocked to read along, "Alrigh', ya gonna tell why ya' sent me girl off on 'er own?"

"Victoria Fellows has been place undercover through Interpol to get close to Art Vance. Agent Fellows was successful in infiltrating the inner circle but it appears that her momentum has slowed in terms of truly discovering the bigger plans Vance has. Carmichael Industries has been contracted by Interpol to do two things: Report what Fellows cannot since it would risk her cover; and remind Fellows of the time constraints on this mission. When the Presidential term is over and elections are underway, government agencies like the FBI and CIA might lose some of their evidential files on thousands of high target, white collar criminals and associates if one of the candidates comes into office. We need to move on this, and quickly."

Liam stared at Carmichael through the TV screen and sipped his coffee nonchalantly. He took a bite of his toast and chewed, slowly processing all this new information. "So, wha' ya telling me is: ya sent me lady off on a dangerous mission essentially as bait, with no back-up and no real idea of what she's really doing ther'. And now, you wan' me to go in, with all this new information so tha' she can bite me head off for presuming tha' she can't handle it on 'er own?"

"Er, well.."

"No, no. Please, tell me how I'm suppose to tell 'er what's goin' on without 'er pullin' a pistol on me, yea?" Liam scoffed, then paused in awkward silence. The color drained from Carmichael's face. "Righ', you're gonna 'ave to tell 'er 'cause I'm not takin' tha' chance, you 'ear me? Yea, I'll go, o' course I'll go help 'er."

Carmichael thought for a moment, realizing he made a poor choice in information sharing as a supervisor. "Okay, okay. I'll send her- I mean, I'll debrief and re-brief Agent Godric and your boarding pass is waiting for you in the mailbox. We will check in with you once you've made contact."

"Righ', 'contact.' I'd suggest ya' give us 'bout an hour or so after I get there so ya' don't interrupt," Liam winked at the TV screen and Carmichael gave him a disgusted look before he disconnected the transmission. Liam laughed to himself and finished his toast before getting ready to pack his things. He was excited to get back to his "Kitty" but was more worried about her now.


	4. Chapter 4

Kit woke that same morning and started her day similarly to Liam's. She was waiting to bothered by him waking up but minutes passed as she realized he wasn't there. She snickered to herself because she knows exactly how he would react to her admitting to missing him. She got out of bed in the hotel room and grabbed a complementary muffin the staff had left in her room. She sat at the desk and turned on the hotel's computer. She quickly prompted the command screen to unlock access to Carmichael Industries secure network server. While she reviewed her report, the screen glitched for a moment and Carmichael greeted her. He gave her the run down he had just given Liam and announced that he was en route to her location as a result.

"Are you freaking kidding me, Carmichael! Don't send me in blind like that ever again!" she shouted at the computer.

He apologized, "I know, I know. Liam already scolded me. Hey! I'm doing the best I can, you know. Running a company of secret agents is not in my wheelhouse! You know my story, this was all by accident. It was Sarah's idea- you know what, nevermind. I'm still the boss."

She snickered, "…hardly."

"I heard that! Anyway, now that you're up to speed, what's happened?"

"Well, I had a small run in with Victoria before I even knew what was happening. She made me immediately but I'm not compromised. She's in with Vance and something big is going down. They met with a Senator for assistance. But I haven't been able to find out for what. If I can make contact with Victoria, away from Vance, we might be able to get more information"

Carmichael was hesitant to her plan, "We can't compromise Agent Fellows. That's months of undercover work. If you're certain that you can get her away from him, then I'll trust you." Kit nodded in agreement. Carmichael ended transmission abruptly again, leaving Kit in awkward silence. Now, she had to find Fellows, who clearly doesn't like her, and convince her to tell her everything. She sighed and returned to the network server to try and find out where their base of operations was.

Kit thought back on her intel from the past week. After losing her first lead in the casino, she was able to track the Senator. She discovered who the woman was that was mentioned in their meeting. That was a dead end and had nothing to do with Vance and the big picture. Senator Richards was one of the candidates up for the presidential election, so it made sense he wanted to get rid of all the skeletons in his closet. But what did Vance need him for? Vance has enough at his disposal to have anything. The better question should be: what are the things he can't have?

Kit leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms over her head. Then, she let out an irritated groan. She finished her muffin and headed to the bathroom for a shower, Liam was "en route."


	5. Chapter 5

Liam finally arrived to Kit's hotel room. As soon as she opened the door, Liam paused for a moment. She smiled up at him, he looked like a puppy who was waiting for his owner to tell him he could have the treat. He started bouncing up and down, and started to grin. Kit laughed and said, "Well?" Liam jumped and started for her. He picked her up in his hug and spun her around. He kissed her softly before letting her down.

"Can ya' tell I missed ya', Love?" Kit laughed into his chest and nodded. "Wish I could say it were under bett'r circumstance. Did Carmichael talk to ya'?" He winced worrying that he would have to recap.

She pulled away from the hug and threw her head back. "Yea! He did. And a little late, I might add. UGH!"

Liam could see her flashing back to being upset all over again. She turned away from him and started for the desk. Liam snuck up behind and pulled her into him, "Well, how 'bout ya' tell me wha' cha got, an' we can try to figure the rest out together, eh?" She begrudgingly smiled at his futile attempt to make her forget how mad she was.

The coffee table in the hotel room was covered in papers from her research over the past week. The two sat on the couch and Kit brought him up to speed on all the names and faces that she been able to place. "The only thing I can't seem to figure out is what Vance needs from Senator Richards that he doesn't already have the means to access." Liam sifted through the research as she spoke, "I mean, sure. He's running for President, but really? You want to have the President under your thumb? Pfft, he's not that stupid."

"If I were a powerfully influential criminal, wha' would be the one thing I can't do?" Liam sat back on the couch, thinking fondly of how to be a super villain. Kit turned to look back at him, "I thought that, too, but I think it might be a bit more complex than that. Ugh, I just need to talk to Victoria."

"Wha? Is Vicki not talkin' much these days?" Liam joked, " Oy, let me get a few drinks in 'er. I'll get her talkin'. I'll handle this one." He ran his fingers through his hair and winked at her. "Don't ya' worry none, Kitty. Ya' know I always come back to ya'."

She laughed and explained, "Not like that, you dork. She's in so deep it's hard to get a hold of her. We need to talk to her alone and I've only ever seen her hanging with Vance. Except for the first night I got here and I hadn't used the intersect yet."

Liam thought for a moment, "Where was tha' last place you saw 'em?"

"In the casino, downstairs. I already checked all possibility of them staying here."

"Well, Love, 'ave ya checked to see if tha' man owns tha' whole bloody building?"

Her eyes narrowed at him and he cringed slightly. She admitted to not checking into that theory. Kit got up and reopened the secure network server off the hotel's computer to check all of Vance's assets in the city. Sure enough, Liam was right. They used their new lead to hack into the security cameras and tried to see the last time he was in the building. Since Kit had already been seen around the building this past week, they agreed to let Liam track him down. He reached into his messenger bag and pulled out his own pair of Intersect glasses and was on the move.

He sat in the lobby with a newspaper, but he was really reading a Japanese shoujo manga while waiting for Vance to show. "Damn it, Mizuki-chan, ya made another delicious bento. I hope senpai doesn' reject it." He turned the page and looked up. "Oh, Christ," he whispered. Vance walked in with Senator Richards, Victoria Fellows, and a handful of others. Liam slipped on the Intersect. Flash: different exotic flowers and herbs, test tubes, algorithms, and id badges. The other guests were medical professionals and pharmaceutical executives. Vance escorted everyone through a Staff Only door behind the concierge desk. It scanned his fingerprint before entering.

Liam casually rub his ear, "Oy, Kitty."

"Ya?" She was back upstairs on the network server.

"Vance is 'ere and he's lookin' pretty shady, Love." He turned the page of his manga.

"Okay, I'll get into the hotel's security camera network." She typed quickly and brought up the security feed, preparing to follow Vance beyond the door.

"His guests are pharmaceutical reps I think. Wha' are ya' up to, ya' naughty boyo?" He watched all the guests shuffle in, but Vance was behind with Fellows. They were having a private discussion that Liam needed to hear. "Oh bollocks."

"What? What happened? Liam are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine, Love. But Mizuki-chan's bento wasn't enough to get Senpai to notice 'er."

"What the fu-, Liam! Are you reading Manga right now!? Get up you derp!"

Liam put the intersect back into his jacket breast pocket, and folded up his manga/newspaper. He stood up casually checking the time on his watch, trying to over hear the conversation between Vance and Fellows. From what he could make out, he was shutting her out of the meeting and sending her back to "check on things" with his other operations. Vance tucked her silver hair behind her ear and grinned before ducking through the door and shutting it behind him. Fellows stood for a moment looking irritated, then pulled out her phone. She started towards the door. Liam saw an opening. "Kitty, she's been kicked. I'm goin' after 'er." Kit agreed, "See what you can get out of her, I'll try to spy on this secret meeting."


	6. Chapter 6

Liam kept a good pace behind Fellows as they walked down the Vegas strip. Once he believed they were far enough away from any of Vance's goons to see, Liam caught up with her. He walked nonchalantly beside her, enough to make her look away from her phone. She sped up, as did he. She slowed down, the he stepped in front of her, walking backwards. Liam gave a cheeky smile, "Ah, 'ello, Vicki!" She stopped and looked at him suspiciously. "Who are you?" she said with an American accent. Liam held out his hand, "why don't we grab a cup o' tea or somethin' and chat awhile."

They stepped into the nearest coffee shop and sat at the far back table. Fellows sat facing the door, her back to the wall. She's grown rather paranoid over the past few months. She dropped the accent and spoke in her native English tongue, "So, who are you and how do you know my name?" Liam pulled out the intersect glasses and handed them to her. "Well? Go on then. Put 'em on and gaze into me eyes," he grinned. She reached for them, and put them on cautiously, then looked up at Liam. Flash: arrest reports from Scotland for drunken and disorderly conduct when Liam was younger; former badges from Interpol's finest and MI6; pictures and videos of cats playing instruments; and a current file for freelance work through Carmichael Industries.

Fellows took the glasses off quickly and handed them back to Liam. She rubbed her eyes and reached for her coffee, "Gah, how do you use that damn thing all the time? Aright, Agent Meyers. Why are you here and not my contacts with Interpol?"

"It appears ya' friends needed some assistance. So they hired us to help ya out. Or rather, they wan' to know wha's goin' on since you haven' checked in for weeks. There's a time crunch, sweetheart, and they're gettin' rather impatient wit' ya."

"I haven't been able to discreetly keep everyone in the loop. My undercover position's… well, Vance fancies me now. So, it's been difficu-"

"Oh bloody hell, are ya sleeping wit 'em now?!"

"No! Of course not!"

"Coz ya know, I'll have to let 'em know ya been compromised!"

Victoria hushed Liam, "I know, I know. It's not like that. It's all part of the end game." Liam chuckled and took a swig of his tea. They paused before getting down to it. "So, why haven't ya checked in, Girlie?"

Victoria almost went spastic, "Vance is paranoid, and rightfully so. Why do you think it's taken me this long to get this close? His personnel are some of the top vetted people, more so than government officials! There are probably people looking for me right now. You'll have to dodge out the back. I don't have any secure lines, but possibly a secure location for meets." Liam pulled a notepad from his jacket breast pocket. She quickly scribbled an address and pushed for him to get a move on. "I'll be there a few times over the next few days. If they track me here, it's probably best that they don't see you leaving. I'll be able to get away with the ol' coffee break excuse."

Liam smiled and tucked away his notepad, "Thanks, Girlie. If it's not me, it will be my partner. I think you met her a week ago."

"Oh, the poker player with a vendetta against misogynists? Sure, I'll keep an eye out."

Liam looked puzzled for a moment, thinking that would be a longer story. He smirked because it did ultimately sound like something Kit would be identified as. He casually saluted Victoria off and ducked out the back of the coffee shop.

"Aye, cheeky Kitty."


End file.
